Replacement for venetian blind slatsupporting strap



Nov. 27, 1956 J. J. DIXON, SR 2,771,946

REPLACEMENT FOR VENETIAN BLIND SLAT-SUPPORTING STRAP Filed Feb. 1, 1954 IN V EN TOR.

JOHN J. DIXON, SR.

ATTORN EYS iiniteri tates Patent REPLACEMENT FOR VENETIAN BLIND SLAT- SUPPORTING STRAP John J. Dixon, Sr., Dot-Chester, Mass.

Application February 1, 1954, Serial No. 407,237

2 Claims. (Cl. 160-178) The slats of a conventional Venetian blind are supported by thin transverse straps of textile material which often break or wear out and in order to repair them it is usually necessary to take down .the entire blind, sew in another strap, and then replace the blind, an awkward, time consuming procedure.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a replacement for such a strap which may be easily applied to the supporting tapes, which does not interfere with the operation of the blind, which does not detract from the appearance of the blind, and which can be economically manufactured.

Further objects will be apparent from the consideration of the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a plan View of a replacement constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a modified form of replacement;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through a Venetian blind having the replacement strap shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but having the replacement strap shown in Fig. 2.

In accordance with the present invention my new replacement comprises a thin, narrow strip of metal, such as soft brass, aluminum. zinc or other suitable material which can be readily bent, and the end portions of this strip are formed with a plurality of tongues adapted to be attached to the tapes of the blind. Preferably the body portion of. the strip is reinforced by one or more longitudinally extending ribs and, if desired, the replacement may be enameled or otherwise colored to conform to the color of the tape to which it is to be attached.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a thin narrow strip of brass, the opposite ends of which are formed with three spaced tongues 2, 3 and 4 having pointed ends, as shown. Between these ends the body of. the strip is formed with a pair of spaced reinforcing ribs 6.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. l the length of the body portion is substantially equal to the width of the slat S of the blind with which it is to be used, e. g., about 2 inches, and the length of the tongues may be of the order of inch which has been found to be adequate to insure anchorage when attached to the tapes T. In the embodiment of Fig. 2, the body portion 1a is somewhat shorter than that of Fig. 1 and the tongues 2a, 3a and 4a are correspondingly longer so that the replacement can be used with slats of varying widths.

In applying the replacement the broken or worn out strap may first be removed from the tapes T and the tapes are then pierced :by the tongues of the replacement, after which the outer tongues 2 and 4 are bent downward-1y and the middle tongue 3 is bent upwardly, as shown in Fig. 4, thus providing a reliable support for the slat S. The complete application of a replacement takes but a minute or less, and when properly applied the replacement does not interfere with the operation of the blind. If enameled or otherwise colored to conform to the color of the tapes T, the replacement is hardly noticeable and in any event does not detract from the appearance of the blind.

Where, as it is preferred, the replacements are made from strips of brass or aluminum, they may be formed by a single operation of a press or otherwise mass produced, thus assuring economical manufacture and consequent low selling price.

While I have shown and described one desirable embodiment of the invention it is to be understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration and that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A replacement for a Venetian blind slat-supporting strap consisting of a thin narrow strip of sheet metal, the opposite ends of which are formed with a plurality of bendable pointed tongues adapted to pierce the tapes of the blind and provide a support for one end of a slat, the length of the body portion of the strip between said tongues being substantially equal to the width of the slats of the blind.

2. A replacement for a Venetian blind slat-supporting strap consisting of a thin narrow strip of sheet metal, the opposite ends of which are formed with a plurality of spaced bendable tongues having pointed ends adapted to pierce the tapes of the blind and provide a support for one end of a slat, the body portion of the strip between said tongues being substantially equal to the width of the slats of the blind and having at least one reinforcing rib.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 175,803 Widemann et al. Apr. 4, 1876 2,517,788 Herron Aug. 8, 1950 2,662,592 Bierlich Dec. 15, 1953 2,678,688 Dragan May 18, 1954 2,716,448 Landress Aug. 30, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 184,326 Great Britain Aug. 17, 1922 

